“That’s apt, given how much he’d love to hang me out to dry.” She coughed against the stress clamping around her ribs. With everything else that had happened, the threat of the disciplinary had understandably slipped her mind. “I was supposed to have a meeting with a rep about it on Monday. My doc’s promised to discharge me tomorrow, so I might be able to come in for it. Maybe I can resume on light duties or—”

“Jem.” Kev put a hand on her arm. “Take a breath.”

She took several. “Am I going to get sacked, Kev?” she asked quietly.

“I very much doubt that, love, no matter how hard Baxter might push. Besides which, his timing is terrible.” Kev fished in his pockets and pulled out a handful of newspaper clippings. “The fire has been quite the story. The MEN ran it on the front cover. So did the Guardian, the Indie, and the Tameside Chron. One of the Daily Mail hacks turned up on station, but Dougie told him to piss off. We’ve had a couple of requests for an interview, but I asked the media department to handle them.”

“I don’t want any fuss,” she said, glad for once to have been isolated in the hospital. “I just want to get home and get back to work.”

“Better not rush things, then. How’s Officer Rosie?”

Jem smiled. She never had told him Rosie’s surname. “She’s fast asleep. Well, I hope she is, or she’ll be wondering where I am.”

“I might have a word with her sarge, see if we can get you on opposing shifts. You don’t half get into trouble when you’re together.” He chuckled, obviously meaning nothing by it, but the unease that had lingered since her nightmare ramped right back up. He walked her to her room, and she stood on the threshold, watching Rosie blink blearily at her.

“What did I miss?” Rosie asked.

“Nothing,” Jem said, but the kneejerk denial seemed to stick in her throat, and she knew now what she had to do. She smiled to soften the bluntness of her tone, though she felt like curling into Rosie’s arms and sobbing her heart out. “Go back to sleep.”

* * *